


Ikanaide

by GogglesXKun



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Unrequited Love, have fun with that!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-18 13:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18700930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GogglesXKun/pseuds/GogglesXKun





	Ikanaide

The pain that comes with viewing something you can’t have, with standing to the side as the object of your desire is led away… To actively assist your dreams in leaving you behind… What was the word for the pain that comes with it? Sorrow…? No, there’s a better word… it’s “longing”, isn’t it? Is that what such pain is? Is that what those countless Inklings they’ve toyed with again and again felt? Perhaps not so strongly…

The first time Diver came to terms with “longing” was when Aloha returned to base, smug as can be and announcing that a team made of the elites of turf was being put into place. He had announced he was one of the four. It should have been a grand celebration without an issue… And it was as far as the rest of the Pink Team knew. Diver on the other hand… It hurt. Sick and dizzy all night, what almost seemed like grief swirling around in his stomach kept reminding him that the Party King wasn’t just theirs anymore. He would have a second team to attend to… But… Aloha was happy about it, Diver couldn’t help but grin and celebrate as well, even if it had hurt.

The next morning, he could only panic as he began to realize what was stirring. It had been there for ages… But it was so much easier to ignore before he put a name to it. A crush. Love. It was horrible… It wasn’t as if he’d keep the Party King. Their attention flutters around all too much. Nothing is interesting enough to keep them from boredom and from moving on to whatever strikes his fancy next… There’s no way he’d keep the pink Inkling even if he had a chance with them… Still… It’s not as if they could leave now. He’d just have to try to make sure they kept that smile to distract from that cursed “longing”.

The next time that dizzying “longing” made him ill and almost drove him to act out was the fight with Blue Team. He had really meant it when he apologized! He really did feel horrible for fucking up Aloha like that! Convincing the other two to slack off with him and then not listening when Aloha started to worry about the match… Not the smartest idea. If guilt hadn’t rooted him to the spot, he likely would have run off and probably would have been sick and some sort of shady alleyway. Wouldn’t be the first time, though for a much different reason… It was lucky that smile returned so soon. If Aloha had stayed mad… He might have not stayed in Inkopolis much longer.

Then there was a time soon after the S4 were defeated… Aloha seemed much happier to be on better terms with the rest of the S4, even if it was still a bit shaky. Of course, they all had work to do on improving their behaviors around each other… But they were trying if the sweets Aloha had come home with as an apology from Skull for hitting him was anything to go by. Though, for Diver, that wasn’t exactly the best. Aloha left more often, chats and meetings with the S4 to plan more team battles, to improve their relations… It made Diver almost sick with jealousy to see these outsiders take away their Party King so easily. Especially as, unlike his “relationships”, he couldn’t leave the S4 if he got bored. Not as if that seemed to matter with how Diver would have to sit and listen to Aloha gush or gossip about something he learned about his other team… But.. Again, Aloha was happy, that was good enough to make him happy.

Again, longing showed it’s sickening face when Aloha returned from practice one day, hairstyle completely different than it was when he left in the morning. He had been much happier lately, everything was going well as far as he was concerned, not a problem to trouble him. Of course, he hadn’t realized there was someone in the background getting a few burdens out of his path without his notice… But that was nothing to talk about, nothing that needed acknowledgement. The carefree smile the pink Inkling always wore as of late was more than enough… Even so, with his actions of late and this new hairstyle, he looked positively adorable to most and rather innocent… It was almost hard to connect him with that shady, threatening Inkling from before that would kidnap and mock those he deemed “not fresh enough”. Praise was scattered in between gossip about the day and Diver couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous that their next tournament was taken up by their other team… He also couldn’t help but notice how much more they seemed to gush about those other three as of late…

Longing started to become familiar after that. Always lurking in the background. He had to concentrate at parties not to get lost staring at Aloha like the hundreds of faceless Inklings that always watched his every move through the colorful lights. That or maybe get drunk, but that had a lot of outcomes and the only way to really ignore the shining star of the dancefloor was to blackout. Not something he’d care to make a habit of. During the day, he found that familiar, dull pain urging him to spend as much time as he could with the other before his second team stole him away again. It always hurt, but that was okay. Being around him, watching him happy and smiling… It was enough for now. It kept him going, even if he suddenly lacked the motivation to do anything else for the day when Aloha would inevitably leave his side…

Of course, he was bound to lose Aloha if he kept quiet… But he couldn’t talk either. It wasn’t hard to see who the Party King had their eyes on and frankly, if that was the case, he’d at least rather stay their best friend then risk Aloha being upset and tossing him away like the other lovestruck fools they've toyed with. At least they can still see them grin and help them along like this, even if it eventually led to him being the grieving best man. Even if he had to watch Aloha slowly fall down the slope he himself fell down with their eyes constantly on someone else… That would be fine as long as he smiled during it. Of course, it would hurt, it will always hurt, but longing is familiar by now, it’s manageable. Watching the other grieve… That wasn’t as easy. Is that what “devotion” is? What kind of devotion was it…? “Worship” seems like it could get out of hand… But if that’s what it was, so be it.

Again, the day came where longing wasn’t so easy to handle. Diver had really thought he had a handle on it by this point. Just a dull irritance by this point. However, when Aloha returned home and announced another tournament he’d attend… It hurt again to hear it was with his second team. It was almost as if he’d forget they were a team rather than just a group to gossip too… But it didn’t matter as the excitement picked up. As the familiar gossip returned. As the gushing slowly mixed in that Octoglasses and Straw would never pick up. It didn’t matter as they would always go to cheer on their shining star of a team leader. Is it selfish to wish that he’d never been asked to join that other team?... It certainly is, even if he would have been satisfied with them if they hadn’t asked.

Again though, that grin makes up for anything he’ll have to go through… As brief as it always is as of late. Especially when Aloha is running out the door soon enough again, cheerily calling back that they apparently had to practice for the tournament… They never even practiced with them, so hearing him call that he suddenly has to go for it… It almost hurts. It seems like he’s finally gotten bored of one team and on to the next. Just as he usually acts with people…

With how little Aloha’s been around them as of late, he almost had to wonder if Aloha viewed them as friends anymore or if they just viewed them as a group that would listen to their gossip and echo back in such a way that they could just keep going on. At one time he would have scoffed at that kind of idea but... With how they treat most people… Then again, that’s probably the jealousy talking again. It wouldn’t be the first time… And even if Aloha did feel that way about them, at least they still got to talk to them unlike the majority of Inkopolis.

Gods, he was really that lovestruck, huh…? Just another one of those faceless idiots Aloha played with when his charms tied them around his fingers. Another mindless puppet on strings. Not as if he could or would do anything about it at this point. He was here for the ride wherever it may lead… Though, if he’s in Aloha’s way, perhaps it would be best to just leave… But that time hasn’t come yet and only time will tell if it will come. He’ll just have to cheer the shining star on from the sidelines until something happens. Not a problem with how familiar of a role it’s become.


End file.
